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[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/126886746″ params=”color=ff6600″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

(Note: Irma’s stark reminders are voiced at about the 5:20 mark)

Liberals erroneously claim that the conservative right are fascists, or generally speaking, the farther right a society travels on the ideological spectrum the closer to fascism it gets. It is simply untrue. In fact, conservatism and fascism are on complete opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Progressivism and fascism, however, are firmly located on the same side of the spectrum as fascism — the left.

Unfortunately, those who lived under fascist rule know this all too-well because, to them, there is no faux academic supplement for reality.

Buck Sexton, of the Blaze Radio Show, received a phone call Saturday from a nearly 84-year-old woman named Irma, who lives in Massachusetts today. Irma was born in 1930 under Nazi Germany fascism. Her father fought against the tyranny of big government for years, which resulted in his imprisonment first under the Nazis, and again “under the worst conditions” after communism took over in what was then-East Germany.

Big government liberals, otherwise camouflaged as progressives, falsely argue that their big government ideology separates them from fascism because their purpose is a “moral imperative.” However, historically, there is simply no such thing, there is only the choice of either centralized tyranny or decentralized freedom. As Irma said, “progressivism and fascism come from the same ideological root.”

According to the Merriam-Webster definition, fascism is “a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”

In truth, we are hard-pressed to distinguish a difference between progressivism and fascism when we actually review what they mean, ideologically. Both believe in big government control and a dynamic, powerful executive that renders the liberty of the individual subservient to the collective. From his takeover of 1/6 of the American economy through ObamaCare to his defiance of a president’s constitutional duty to uphold the law on immigration and DOMA, though he is often charged of being a socialist, President Obama seems to resemble more a fascist than anything else.

And the reason is simple: Socialism, communism, progressive and fascism all “come from the same ideological root,” just as Irma said. They all in one form or another, at their core, believe that people are best ruled by those educated enough to rule, because people are not capable of making their own choices.

“My biggest regret is that I came here, and we lived a life trusting that we lived under a Constitution that will always be there,” Irma told Sexton. She went on to say that she was “always leery” about what took place in the 1960s and the political correctness movement that took hold in universities, prompting her to ask herself, “What in the world is this?”

There is one more aspect that connects socialism, communism, progressivism and fascism that is significant. Sure, they all lead to tyranny, but they also all fail.

(Want to read more about political ideologies and their implications, read my book Our Virtuous Republic, which dives into great detail about what each philosophy presupposes about human nature. “Liberals who read this book will never see the same face in the mirror again, and conservatives will never find a better argument against big government.”)

A Nazi survivor shares her story in

Opinion

WASHINGTON — This report on the State of Conservatism comes at the end of an annus mirabilis for conservatives. In 2013, they learned that they may have been wasting much time and effort.

Hitherto, they have thought that the most efficient way to evangelize the unconverted was to write and speak, exhorting those still shrouded in darkness to read conservatism’s most light-shedding texts. Now they know that a quicker, surer method is to have progressives wield power for a few years. This will validate the core conservative insight about the mischiefs that ensue when governments demonstrate their incapacity for supplanting with fiats the spontaneous order of a market society.

It is difficult to recall and hard to believe that just three months ago some conservatives, mirroring progressives’ lack of respect for the public, considered it imperative to shut down the government in order to stop ObamaCare in its tracks. They feared that once Americans got a glimpse of the law’s proffered subsidies, they would embrace it. Actually, once they glimpsed the law’s details, they recoiled.

Counterfactual history can illuminate the present, so: Suppose in 2012, Barack Obama had told the truth about the ability of people to keep their health plans. Would he have been re-elected? Unlikely. Suppose in 2012, Chief Justice John Roberts, instead of rewriting the health care law to save it, had been the fifth vote for overturning it. Would Obama be better off today? Probably.

Franklin Roosevelt, emboldened by winning a second term in 1936, attempted to pack, by expanding, the Supreme Court, to make it even more compliant toward his statism. He failed to win congressional compliance, and in 1938 he failed to purge Democrats who had opposed him. The voters’ backlash against him was so powerful that there was no liberal legislating majority in Congress until after the 1964 election.

That year’s landslide win by President Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater, less than 12 months after a presidential assassination, left Democrats with 295 House and 68 Senate seats. Convinced that a merely sensible society would be a paltry aspiration, they vowed to build a Great Society by expanding legislation and regulation into every crevice of Americans’ lives. They lost five of the next six and seven of the next 10 presidential elections. In three years we shall see if progressive overreaching earns such a rebuke.

In 2013, the face of progressivism became Pajama Boy, the supercilious, semi-smirking, hot-chocolate-sipping faux-adult who embodies progressives’ belief that life should be all politics, all the time — come on, everybody, spend your holidays talking about health care. He is who progressives are.

They are tone-deaf in expressing bottomless condescension toward the public and limitless faith in their own cleverness. Both attributes convinced them that Pajama Boy would be a potent persuader, getting young people to sign up for the hash that progressives are making of health care. As millions find themselves ending the year without insurance protection and/or experiencing sticker shock about the cost of policies the president tells them they ought to want, a question occurs: Have events ever so thoroughly and swiftly refuted a law’s title? Remember, it is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

From Detroit’s debris has come a judicial ruling that the pensions that government employees unions, in collaboration with the political class, extort from taxpayers are not beyond the reach of what they bring about — bankruptcy proceedings. In Wisconsin, as a result of Gov. Scott Walker’s emancipation legislation requiring annual recertification votes for government workers’ unions and ending government collection of union dues, more than 70 of 408 school district unions were rejected.

This year’s debate about the National Security Agency demonstrated the impossibility of hermetically sealing distrust of government to one compartment of it. Worries about the NSA’s collection of metadata occurred in a context of deepened suspicions about government because of this year’s revelations that the administration has corrupted the Internal Revenue Service, the most intrusive and potentially the most punitive domestic institution. Conservatism is usually served by weariness of government.

The prophet Al Gore has given many hostages to fortune and this year fortune shot another of them. In 2008, he predicted the North Polar ice cap would be gone “in five years.”

Finally, a regularly recurring fever of progressive indignation about the name of Washington’s professional football team again waned without success, which means Oklahoma will not have to change its name. “Oklahoma” is a compound of two Choctaw language words, “okla” meaning people, and “homma” meaning red.

George Will’s email address is [email protected].

WASHINGTON -- This report on the State

News, Politics

New Politics Conservative Podcasts with The Don Smith Show on BlogTalkRadio

During an interview Saturday on the Don Smith Show, Gov. Scott Walker told conservative talk radio host Don Smith that conservatives don’t need to moderate their conservative principles, they need to have the courage to articulate them in order to win in 2014, and beyond.

The Wisconsin governor was thrusted into the national spotlight when he fought the powerful Wisconsin labor unions to pass his Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill, not only closing a $3.6 billion deficit, but ending up with a surplus while improving public education and infrastructure. For his efforts, labor unions led a recall effort, which failed miserably when Walker survived the recall, even defeating his Democratic challenger by a larger margin than in his successful 2010 gubernatorial bid.

In his book, Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge, Gov. Scott Walker details his experience in Wisconsin, an experience which he says will provide conservatives with a framework not just for winning elections, but helping the American people on issues that effect their lives.

“I think results do matter. There is optimism for those who want to do the right thing, but results ultimately do matter,” Walker told Don Smith.

Unemployment fell to 6.3 percent from a high of 9.2 percent when Walker prepared to take office, but a broad, ambitious series of reforms that were once deeply unpopular as a result of the Democratic Party attack machine, were beginning to take effect to the betterment of people’s lives. Gov. Walker said he knew that if they just had the courage to see those reforms through, then “we would prevail in the end,” because of the positive result they would have in people’s lives.

Prior to Walker taking office, a statewide Chamber of Commerce business survey found just 4 percent of businesses in the state thought Wisconsin was headed in the right direction, which has now skyrocketed to 94 percent since Walker took office. The governor cites the improved business climate as the key driver behind over 13,000 net new businesses being created in Wisconsin throughout his tenure.

Gov. Scott Walker also discussed his latest proposal to direct federal subsidies to the poor and uninsured in Wisconsin — which was previously covered on PeoplesPunditDaily.com — thereby allowing them to purchase coverage directly from the insurer, avoiding the online “exchange” created by ObamaCare, or the “Unaffordable” Care Act. Wisconsin, “for obvious reasons,” did not accept the Medicaid expansion, and is now having the courage to offer up a conservative alternative to help alleviate the damage the law will have on the health care of Wisconsinites.

While he admits that his proposal is only to address specific risks associated with ObamaCare, he believes “a long-term, patient-driven approach where the government doesn’t have any role in dictating what you or I or anyone does when it comes to our health care.” Gov. Walker favors a more comprehensive, market-based and patient-driven plan as the only way to lower cost.

“This isn’t the Affordable Care Act, this is the Un-Affordable Care Act,” he said, adding that it was always a false argument to reform health care coming from the left, because it was never a real free market-based system that was governing health care to begin with.

As far as the idea that holds Republicans should moderate their conservative views, which rose in stature after the 2012 presidential election cycle, Gov. Scott Walker fully rejects it.

He said that his experience in Wisconsin showed him that moderate voters want people to honestly tell them what they intend to do, and do it. For Walker, 2012 was a blown opportunity to define the difference between the right and the left.

“We don’t measure success based on how many people are dependent on the government, but how many people are no longer dependent on the government. And not because we want to kick them out to the street or the cold, but because we understand that true freedom and prosperity does not come from the mighty hand of government. It comes from the dignity you get from work, and empowering people to get jobs and stand alone in the private sector.”

Defining the difference between the right and left could be conveyed in a powerful way using what Walker calls “false choices,” because with government, people are given “false choices,” which he urges people to reject. Unlike the all or nothing government-centered solution, in the private sector, among We the People, we aren’t forced to accept such limitations and anything is possible.

The Wisconsin governor appeared on the final Don Smith Show for the year 2013 at about the 90-minute mark, which also included two other great interviews. Cure Care President, Adrian Pelkus, joined Don Smith to talk about a revolutionary medical treatment that is helping injured troops avoid amputations. They also discussed how ObamaCare is and will stifle innovation in the health care industry.

General Paul Vallely was the senior military analyst for the Fox News Channel from 2000 to 2007, and now is the Founder and Chairman of the organization Stand Up America. The group was created to be an educational forum based upon the values and principles that our Founding Fathers intended, and carries that mission at home and abroad.

The Don Smith Show, “where it’s ok to be a conservative,” airs every Saturday at Noon ET. Tune in to hear great interviews with people like Ted Nugent, Col. Allen West, Charlie Daniels, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Pat Boone, Chuck Woolery, Ben Shapiro, Jon Voight, Deneen Borelli, NRA President Jim Porter, Victoria Jackson, and many more leading conservatives.

During an interview Saturday on the Don

Elections, Polls

Incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran (left) and state Sen. Chris McDaniel (right) (Photo: AP)

The Mississippi Senate race is the ninth article in a succession of articles offering expanded analysis on the ratings for the PPD 2014 Senate Map. Sen. Thad Cochran is emerging as one of — if the most — endangered incumbent Republican senators who may not win his party’s nomination.

Thus far, I have released expanded analysis for the following Senate races:

Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, and North Carolina, with West Virginia — which is rated “Safe Republican” on the 2014 Senate Map — soon to be released as the tenth article.

Republican Sen. Thad Cochran has decided he’s running in 2014. The 76-year old, six-term senator is the second-longest serving Republican in the upper chamber and if you include the years he served in the House, then he has been in Washington for 40 years. In this year’s anti-establishment climate, his 40-year “service,” means he will have to defend his seat against a challenge to his right flank.

The single-most serious challenger in the Mississippi Senate race for Sen. Thad Cochran is state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who has the backing of several influential groups, including Senate Conservatives Fund, the FreedomWorks PAC, the Madison Project, and Club for Growth. Meanwhile, the 76-year-old Cochran — who most assuredly won’t be knocking on doors —  hasn’t been raising money aggressively, at all. At the end of the third quarter, his war chest reported just over $800,000 in the bank.

Perhaps, because he hasn’t had a competitive race in 30 years, he didn’t believe he was vulnerable. However, the Club for Growth, Senate Conservatives Fund and the Madison Project launched TV and radio ads early in Mississippi to help raise McDaniel’s name recognition.

There are other challengers lining up, as well. Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, state Auditor Stacey Pickering and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, all join state Sen. Chris McDaniel as potential challengers to Senator Cochran.

Typically, pork is a losing argument in the state, believe it or not, thus conventional wisdom would hold the only viable strategy would have to harp on those 40 years. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that will hold true this time around.

“There are some in the conservative coalition that will be working hard for Chris McDaniel,” said Pat Bruce, head of the Madison County Conservative Coalition, who refused to take sides. “But then others will be working for Sen. Cochran because of what he’s done for us over the years.”

Dean Clancey, FreedomWorks vice-president for public policy, holds a very different view of the Mississippi Senate race. “Voters are no longer looking for a new bridge or highway, which is Senator Cochran’s specialty.”

We are limited on polling in the state to reference, which would be useful to determine whose statement holds against scrutiny. However, polling on the Mississippi Senate race has been conducted by Gravis Marketing, which is rated high for past accuracy in our model used to make prediction for the PPD 2014 Senate Map. According to a Gravis Marketing poll conducted in mid-December, just 39 percent said they approved of the job Cochran was doing and 40 percent said they were undecided, with 22 percent saying they disapprove.

mississippi senate race

The good news for Cochran is that many primary voters are undecided regarding how they feel about their senator overall, but in a head-to-head matchup against McDaniel, it looks much worse.

Both men are polling at 40 percent, though Cochran has a slight, statistically insignificant edge if the numbers aren’t rounded. However, even against a generic Tea Party candidate, Cochran leads with just 45 percent support. “Cochran is virtually tied with McDaniel, and he is again under the 50 percent threshold when running in a generic run against a Tea Party candidate,” said Doug Kaplan, president of Gravis Marketing.

Mississippi senate race

That 50 percent threshold is crucial, which Cochran cannot even claim to be close to achieving. A PPP survey in November also found that 55 percent of GOP primary voters said they would prefer a “more conservative” alternative to Cochran, while just 35 percent said they support the incumbent Senator.

I suspect name recognition accounts for some of the disparity in performance between McDaniel and a generic Tea Party candidate, but it is the McDaniel organization that will likely be the game-changer if he ends up defeating Cochran in the primary.

While Cochran decided to lay low, both before and after he made his decision to run again, the insurgent candidate McDaniel expanded his organization, opening offices and hiring even more campaign staff following Cochran’s announcement that he would run for reelection.

Looking at the latest move by Cochran, himself, tells us where he thinks he has found himself in the Mississippi Senate race. Cochran hired a new campaign manager, Kirk Sims. Sims is the son-in-law of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who just left his job as Mississippi Gov. D. Phillip Bryant’s chief of staff in order to head-up the campaign.

McDaniel and his allies, however, seem to have a pretty good grasp on just how much the dividends from a good ground game can pay off. Easton Randall, the government affairs manager at FreedomWorks, says it is too little too late for Cochran, and he may be right.

“Yet despite all their best efforts, McDaniel is tied with the incumbent after only a few months on the campaign trail. This is proof that a united grassroots can make a difference. The grassroots matter,” he said.

On the other end of the political spectrum, State Attorney General Jim Hood is the only Democrat who has the stature to cause a problem, but that was when there was a potential for this to be a race for an open seat, and before ObamaCare fell on its face. Former Democratic Rep. Travis Childers is considering a bid, which some Democrats say they are hopeful for, though he did say he was “less apt” to run if Cochran ran.

But in a state Mitt Romney won by more than 10 points in 2012 and Childers suffered a 14-point defeat in 2010, reality doesn’t fit the liberal media narrative. Shocking, I know. Furthermore, from 2010 to 2014, the Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI) moved from R+10 to R+9, well within “Safe Republican” territory, with all things being considered.

The primary, on the other hand, is now rated a “Toss-Up” on the PPD 2014 Senate Map. Political scientist Marvin P. King Jr., a political science professor at the University of Mississippi, said he believes the primary race is the biggest fight of Cochran’s political career. I am very inclined to agree.

View Polling Graphs Below Or Return To PPD 2014 Senate Map

General Sentiment Of The Electorate:

mississippi senate race

A Vital Question For A Republican Primary In The South:

mississippi senate race

Support For Drug Tests For Welfare Gauges The Ideological Direction Of Republican Primary Voters:

Mississippi senate race

[caption id="attachment_7607" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Incumbent Sen. Thad

News, World

Dec. 27, 2013: In this image provided by Australasian Antarctic Expedition/Footloose Fotography the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy is trapped in thick Antarctic ice 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart, Australia. (AP)

A Chinese icebreaker that was en route to rescue a Russian Antarctic ship trapped in ice was forced to turn back on Saturday after being unable to break its way through the heavy sea of ice.

The Snow Dragon icebreaker came within a mere 7 miles of the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which got stuck in the ice on Christmas Eve. However, the Snow Dragon had to abort the rescue after the ice became too thick, said expedition spokesman Alvin Stone.

The Akademik Shokalskiy, which was on a research expedition to Antarctica, got stuck after blizzard winds pushed the sea ice up and around the ship, freezing it right in place. Fortunately, the Russian expedition ship wasn’t in danger of sinking, and there are weeks’ worth of supplies for the 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board.

Three icebreakers, including the Snow Dragon, have been trying to reach the ship since Wednesday. Another ship, France’s L’Astrolabe, made it all the way to the edge of the sea ice surrounding the ship on Saturday, but called off its mission after they also failed to break through, said Lisa Martin. Martin is the spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the rescue.

The third icebreaker, Australia’s Aurora Australis, is still on their rescue mission and is believed to have the best chance of cutting through the ice. They are expected to arrive on Sunday, Martin said. The Snow Dragon will remain in the area in case its help is needed.

“I think we’re probably looking at another 24 hours of twiddling our fingers and waiting for something to happen,” said Stone, the expedition spokesman.

The scientific team on board the research ship — which left New Zealand on November 28 — had been recreating a 100-year old expedition by Australian explorer Douglas Mawson. The team plans to continue their expedition after they are freed, expedition leader Chris Turney said.

The weather has improved, as the passengers and crew initially had to contend with blizzard conditions, including winds up to 40 miles per hour, Turney said.

Unbelievably, despite the interruption to the expedition, the scientists have gone on with their research while stuck, counting birds in the area and drilling through the ice surrounding the ship to photograph sea life. Those on board also managed to celebrate the holiday with a traditional Christmas feast and a “Secret Santa” gift exchange, which helped keep everyone’s spirits high, Turney said.

You can follow the expedition leader on Twitter at user handle, @ProfChrisTurney.

A Chinese icebreaker that was en route

News, World

UPDATE: The State Department confirmed late Friday that the four U.S. military personnel previously being held by the Libyan government were released. However, State provided no information on the circumstances and location of their detention.

“We are still trying to ascertain the facts of the incident,” said State Department spokesman Jen Psaki. “We value our relationship with the new Libya. We have a strategic partnership based on shared interests and our strong support for Libya’s historic democratic transition.”

No one was reported injured. A Defense Department official told The Associated Press Friday night that the military personnel were taken to the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli after their release.

The four were supporting U.S. Marine security forces protecting the American Embassy, the official said. They were likely U.S. special operations forces, which have been deployed to Libya.

EARLIER: Four U.S. military personnel are being held by the Libyan government, the State Department confirmed Friday night.

The circumstances and location of their detention were not immediately clear.

“We are seeking to further ascertain the facts and ensure their release,” said State Department spokesman Jen Psaki. “We are in touch with Libyan officials on this issue.”

The New York Times reported the episode appeared to have taken place in a tourist area just southwest of the historic Roman ruins at Sabratha, which is roughly a hour-long drive from the capital of Tripoli. The region was generally considered to be friendly to Westerners.

Photographs of two American passports and embassy identity cards were later disseminated on Twitter. The State Department had no immediate comment.

Since the Benghazi terrorist attack on that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens on September 11, 2012, employees of the American Embassy have supposedly operated with more caution. The New York Times echoed the administration, reporting that so-called  “rigorous security rules” bar any movements outside the reportedly “heavily fortified embassy” without prior notice and planning escorted by armed guard.

The compound is also locked at night, and no one is permitted to enter or exit, but by what means are they prohibited has not yet been answered by U.S. officials.

 

Four U.S. military personnel are being held

Culture, Entertainment, News

A&E announced they will resume filming with Phil Robertson after suspending him earlier in the month for his comments about homosexuality. There was no immediate response from Phil Robertson or the Duck Dynasty family to the A&E announcement.

The announcement came soon after several reports that momentum was building behind several efforts led by fans of the A&E show Duck Dynasty, as well as proponents of faith and traditional values, with one such effort planning to show their loyalty by holding a Phil Robertson appreciation day at Chick-fil-A franchises nationwide on January, 21.

There are no reports that the two developments are connected, but mounting pressure on A&E — who disgracefully ran repeats of the popular show all week-end, despite being “champions of the LGBT community” — finally caused them buckle under the pressure and the reality of their bottom line.

“Duck Dynasty” is the top-rated reality program on cable, with an average 13.4 million viewers and a marketing franchise in such outlets as Walmart, Sears and Cracker Barrel restaurants – which briefly removed the “Dynasty” items after Robertson’s suspension.

In a statement released late Friday afternoon, A&E said, “While Phil’s comments made in the (GQ) interview reflect his personal views based on his own beliefs, and his own personal journey, he and his family have publicly stated they regret the ‘coarse language’ he used and the misinterpretation of his core beliefs based only on the article. He also made it clear he would ‘never incite or encourage hate.’”

The network added that “Duck Dynasty is not a show about one man’s views. It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family, a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness. These are three values that we at A&E Networks also feel strongly about. So after discussions with the Robertson family, as well as consulting with numerous advocacy groups, A&E has decided to resume filming Duck Dynasty later this spring with the entire Robertson family.”

(Read More: The Real Reason(s) G.L.A.A.D. Attacked Phil Robertson Over GQ Comments)

There was a response from the Chick-Phil-A Day Facebook page, who posted a comment stating, “This is a win for us, but we’ve got a big battle ahead in the greater picture of this culture war being waged against us! But thus far, the event has not been called off.

According to the Chick-Phil-A Day Facebook page, Robertson supporters are encouraged to wear “Duck Commander or camouflage gear” to their local Chick-fil-A to “stand for free speech” and “sit for good food.”

The event already has over 28,000 likes and nearly 60,000 listed attendees since its creation on December, 20.

Robertson has been the target of a concerted media attack after making comments on homosexuality in a GQ magazine interview earlier this month. The scandal led to his indefinite suspension from A&E, which sparked blowback from proponents of faith and traditional values.

Chick-fil-A is no stranger to the national debate on gay marriage, as back in 2012 after its CEO Dan Cathy said in an interview that he is a firm backer of traditional marriage. His remarks led to both an outpouring of support and a strong backlash against the chain.

As protests against Chick-fil-A spread across the country, former Arkansas governor and Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee decided to hold a national Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day in support of Cathy’s stance on same-sex marriage.

The company also became host to the national debate on gun control back in September, when a Louisiana lawmaker hosted “Guns & Coffee” meet-ups at Chick-fil-A locations throughout the state.

The fast food franchise publicly stated that it was not associated with planning the pro-firearm events and is now working to distance itself from the upcoming Chick-Phil-A Day.

[ooyala code=”ZyeXk2ajplf0RzqB2aUb0peoEoLZhBQQ” player_id=”undefined”]

A&E announced they will resume filming with

Polls

(Photo: Chief Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret) Chuck Wooten)

Chief Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret) Chuck Wooten, a military veteran, sent an open letter to Paul Ryan after receiving a fundraiser email from the House Budget Committee Chairman. Though those letters are annoying, to be sure, Wooten was really upset when Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) concocted the “bipartisan” budget deal, which uses cuts to veterans’ retirement benefits (among other meaningless cuts, statistically speaking) to return funding to special interest and defense spending.

President Barack Obama signed the budget deal on Thursday while vacationing in Hawaii, but the open letter to Paul Ryan is going viral. In an interview with TheBlaze.com, Wooten said he was taken back by the “grand irony” of Paul Ryan having the nerve to ask for money after putting together the “back room deal” that cuts his military benefits.

“You’re picking my pocket and then you’re asking me for a handout,” he said.

“Please note that this request by you for a cash donation from me is extremely unfortunate and very ill-timed,” Wooten writes in the open letter to Paul Ryan. “You see sir, I am one of the military retirees your ‘bipartisan’ budget just impacted. You and every Republican (both in the House and Senate) that voted to pass this travesty betrayed and broke trust with me and everyone like me.”

He added, “You may not know us by name, but we’re the people, Congressman, who answered our Nation’s call, some of us at a very early age to willingly serve YOU and others LIKE YOU so you could safely attend college and pursue your personal ambitions without fear of harm.”

Wooten also told TheBlaze.com he didn’t expect the amount of attention that his open letter to Paul Ryan has thus far attracted. Below is the entire letter, which every American, particularly veterans,

FB Friends,

I’m still mulling this Paul Ryan budget deal that stole money from every military retiree (past, present and future). This morning, upon opening my email, I noticed I had a letter from Congressman Paul Ryan…and it was begging me for an “emergency end of the year donation.” It only proves what we already know. The folks in Washington are indeed clueless. Instead of hitting the delete button, I decided to call Congressman Ryan out on his audacity and lack of self-awareness. I sent the following to him. I’m also posting it on the FB USAF Chiefs page as an open letter to the Congressman. If you’re a retiree, I will tell you we may have lost the battle, but not the war. If you’re inclined and find it worthy, let’s flood social media with this letter and see if we can get some traction. Thanks.

To Congressman Paul Ryan
Today at 8:19 AM
Congressman Ryan,

Please note that this request by you for a cash donation from me is extremely unfortunate and very ill-timed. You see sir, I am one of the military retirees your “bipartisan” budget just impacted. You and every Republican (both in the House and Senate that voted to pass this travesty betrayed and broke trust with me and everyone like me. You may not know us by name, but we’re the people, Congressman, who answered our Nation’s call, some of us at a very early age to willingly serve YOU and others LIKE YOU so you could safely attend college and pursue your personal ambitions without fear of harm.

You might also want to note that for at least 20 years, my brothers-in-arms answered that call of duty EVERY SINGLE DAY, without fail, without complaint, without enough money to sustain our loved ones we had to leave behind while we DID OUR JOB in every corner of the Earth. And for that service, we were given absolute assurance our so-called retirement benefits would be protected by law. The very law you shattered in your zeal to impress your Democratic cohorts in your back room deal–with the enemy. Yes, I said it. The liberal Democrats are an enemy to the American people and our Nation. Your lack of judgement and eagerness to compromise on the backs of us who protected you is sickening. Congressman, you and every Republican that voted for injuring military retirees have engaged in a complicit, sordid affair with the Democrats who’s objective has always been to dismantle the military. By climbing into their bed on this issue, you have confirmed you are absolutely no better than they and have proven it with your vote.

Congressman Ryan, the audacity which you display is noteworthy, but to unceremoniously snatch earned money from a small group that has added so much more value than the paltry $6B you looked to “save” (which is all smoke and mirrors and you know it), is reprehensible and insulting.

We have, despite the hardships, meager salaries and harsh conditions, have performed with honor and excellence…in silence, which is something most members of Congress have no idea about doing. Our job approval was, is and always be better than yours. We knew our mission and we got it done, then handed it off to a new generation in better shape than we found it.

Your ability to look us in the eye, take money from us (apparently there was ZERO, other source of waste within the federal government that you could have recovered this money from…right, got it), while simultaneously holding your hand out to beg (with passion) for our cash is stunning. Your actions have proven you do not have the tremendous intellect you’ve sold the American people on. I say, with all seriousness, Congressman, what you lack in intellect and spinal rigidity, you make up for in cajones.

I hope you and your cowardly, Republican “colleagues” hear a message from me loud and clear. You will NEVER receive another cent of financial support from me. Further, if you happen to be at a Capitol Hill dinner or at a K Street cocktail party with RNC Chair Reince Priebus, Rep. Ron Barber, Sen. Jeff Flake or Sen. John McCain, I would be honored if you communicate with them that I am launching an effort to ensure NONE of you traitorous “representatives of the people” ever receive another vote from a military retiree. Remove me from your contact lists.

Chuck Wooten,
Chief Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret)

 

Chuck Wooten, a military veteran, sent an

Polls

The number of American voters who identify themselves as socially liberal is now at its lowest level than in any other time in the past, according to a new Rasmussen survey.

It has been just over one year since pundits claimed the Republican Party must moderate their views on social issues if they hope to win national elections in the future. But the poll found that just 29 percent of likely U.S. voters now consider themselves liberal on social issues such as abortion, public prayer and church-state topics.

The number movement has definitely benefited the opposition,  with just as many (30 percent) now considering themselves moderate on social issues, which is the highest measurement since October, 2012.

In the wake of abortion ban debates and debates on gay marriage, including a federal judge in Utah overturning the will of the people by allowing the state to perform gay marriages, 37 percent now say they are conservative, up four points from 33 measured in September, 2012.

Most voters now see marriage as a religious institution rather than a civil institution, and still overwhelmingly believe in the importance of marriage before having children.

A separate Rasmussen survey found that 53 percent now view marriage as a religious institution, up from 48 percent in October, with 40 percent saying marriage is a civil institution, a 5-point drop from 45 precent in the previous survey.

 

The number of American voters who identify

News, Politics

With the holidays upon Americans, the media missed an important endorsement on December, 23. The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC endorsed Joe Miller, the conservative Republican candidate who defeated Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Alaska Senate primary, in his second bid for the U.S. Senate.

The PAC was very influential in the 2010 and 2012 campaign cycles, and quite successful. In 2010 and 2012, dozens of the candidates endorsed by Combat Veterans for Congress PAC were elected to office.

The group’s mission statement reads, “Combat Veterans For Congress Committee is dedicated to supporting the election of fiscally conservative Combat Veterans to Congress . . . who believe in limited government, will rein in the out of control spending of Congress, are committed to preserving and defending the US Constitution, and will support the independence and freedom of the individual as outlined in the Bill of Rights.”

Joe Miller graduated from West Point with honors and was awarded the Bronze Star for leadership in combat, also holding a juries doctorate from Yale Law School and a masters in economics from the University of Alaska.

Miller, a Republican running as a constitutional conservative, said of the endorsement, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Combat Veterans for Congress Committee, and I am also proud to stand with my fellow veterans in defense of our Constitution. It is time to make America the land of liberty and opportunity the Founders intended, once again.”

Joe Miller, who challenged the 2010 general election results after a number of questionable voter irregularities on the part of Murkowski’s historic write-in campaign, conceded after exhausting his legal options. This time, he will face off against Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, the establishment candidate and Connecticut native, and former Natural Resources Commissioner and Attorney General, Dan Sullivan.

While others, such as Air Force Veteran John Jaramillo are running — whom Joe Miller beat out for the endorsement — they have yet to gain any traction. The list also includes Kathleen Tonn, pro-life activist. The Alaska Senate race is currently rated “Leans Republican” on the PeoplesPunditDaily.com 2014 Senate Map, which uses a model that accounts for the notoriously difficult task of polling Alaska.

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC endorsement, reads:

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to endorse former Captain Joseph Miller, Esq., USA who will bring to Congress private sector skills and wisdom to better solve problems in government and represent the Alaska and the Republic…The military is one of the few remaining institutions producing the caliber of men and women needed to restore this nation to the greatness our Founding Fathers envisioned. We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress that General George Washington would have approved of. He is a Veteran who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America’ for an amount up to and including his life.

U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller, received an

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